Poor Michael Ironside.
Tom Hardy, the actor who played Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, signed on to star in Ubisoft’s adaptation of Splinter Cell, Variety reports. Hardy will take the role of Sam Fisher, a deadly special-operations agent who works for a CIA-like U.S. agency called Third Echelon.
“Tom Hardy is currently one of the biggest talents in the film industry, and he has a phenomenal ability to take on complex and varied roles with his broad range of acting skills,” said Jean-Julien Baronnet, CEO of Ubisoft Motion Pictures. “His involvement in the ‘Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell’ movie is exciting news for movie and video game fans alike. Meanwhile, Eric Singer is one of the most talented writers of the moment, and … we’re confident he’ll bring a fresh approach and create a thrilling story … while still respecting all the codes and traditions of the franchise that are so important to fans.”
This marks the second film adaptation under the direction of Ubisoft Motion Pictures; the first being Assassin’s Creed, which stars Prometheus actor Michael Fassbender. Publisher Ubisoft set up a film division to help bring its properties to the silver screen while allowing it to maintain creative and financial control.
Ubisoft made a deal with New Regency and Fox to help produce and distribute Assassin’s Creed. The company announced no similar deal regarding Splinter Cell.
The publisher will release Splinter Cell: Blacklist for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in spring of 2013. Michael Ironside, the 62-year-old actor who voiced and helped design Sam Fisher, will not reprise his role in that game.
Via NeoGAF